Living In The Mind
by Morgan Sulfur
Summary: After being poisoned, Valkyrie can't tell the difference between dreams and reality. Is Skulduggery just a figment of her imagination?
1. Chapter 1

**NOT A SEQUAL TO 'RISE OF THE LEERA' AND 'HIS LOST CHILD'!**

**Morgan Sulfur xXX**

* * *

"Valkyrie! Duck." Skulduggery yelled at her. But she was too late and The Dreamster's fist hit her in the face. She stumbled backwards.

Skulduggery suddenly shot across the room at the speed of a bullet and knocked in to The Dreamster, sending them both flying.

Skulduggery and Valkyrie had been chasing this madman for a few months now. All leads had lead to dead ends and all witnesses had mysteriously turned up dead. But they had finally found him. Valkyrie hadn't expected him to be six feet tall, extremely thin, with black eyes and a long goatee, but he was. He was also very powerful; he had the power to affect people's dreams.

Skulduggery and Valkyrie circled him looking for a way past his defenses. Suddenly his arm shot out and gripped Valkyrie's hair and dragged her in front of him, using her as a shield. Skulduggery took out his revolver, but Valkyrie knew he wouldn't be able to shoot with her in the way. She struggled to get free but his grip on her hair was too tight.

"Let go of her!" Skulduggery ordered.

"I don't think so." From inside his pocket The Dreamster brought an injection syringe with a green liquid inside. He pressed the small needle to the side of Valkyrie's neck.

"One wrong move Skelton and I'll inject this poison into your partner."

Valkyrie didn't dare swallow for fear of the needle.

"Ok Skelton put your gun on the floor."

Skulduggery kept the gun pointed at The Dreamster for a moment longer then placed it on the floor.

"Back away from it."

Skulduggery once again hesitated before moving back several steps. Once The Dreamster was happy with the distance he pulled Valkyrie back towards the door. When he stood in the door was he learned in close and whispered in Valkyrie's ear.

"Here's something to remember me by."

And he jabbed the needle into her neck.

Valkyrie's knees buckled as she heard The Dreamster run down the stairs.

"VALKYRIE!" Skulduggery roared as he raced across the room.

Valkyrie was quite surprised really, she felt fine. No dizziness, no sick feeling.

"Skulduggery, I'm OK."

He ignored her and picked her up and ran to the Bentley.

They sped down the road, breaking every speed limit on the way.

Skulduggery pulled out his phone and dialed to sanctuary. He told then to have everything ready for when she got there.

"Skulduggery, I feel fine. I'm OK!"

"But you don't know that!" He yelled.

They drove in silence till they got to the sanctuary where Valkyrie was practically dragged into the medical bay.

Blood was taken and analyzed. Different antidotes were injected into her as a precaution.

But Valkyrie didn't know that the fuss was about, she felt normal.

After hours of sitting on the bed everyone had to admit that she was fine.

Nye walked in the room. Skulduggery, who had silently been observing in the corner of the room since Valkyrie had been brought in, came to her side.

"Your blood showed no sign of any sort of poison." Was it just Valkyrie or did Nye sound disappointed?

"So can I go home now?" Valkyrie asked.

"Well, I'd say yes but Elder Ghastly wants you to stay here overnight." With that Nye walked from the room.

Valkyrie looked at her mentor and smiled. "I told you I was ok. The poison was fake, meant to distract you so he could get away."

Skulduggery shrugged. "Better safe than sorry."

She nodded. "So, have you any idea what The Dreamster is up to?"

"No idea, but we'll work it out, i'm sure. Get some sleep Val."

Val smiled and snuggled down as skulduggery took a seat.

She fell asleep very quickly, just as the poison started working.


	2. The Nightmare

Her body felt heavy. Like she was underwater. Valkyrie struggled to come to the surface and wake up. It was like she had a weight on top of her chest.

"Stephanie, can you wake up?" The voice said soothingly. Valkyrie struggled to follow the voice back to conciseness. "Come on, wake up."

Valkyrie opened her eyes and blinked rapidly. Everything was so bright. The floors, walls, bed and her clothes were white. The light over head was much needed as the small room had no window. The man standing at the end of her bed had grey hair and kind, trustworthy eyes. Valkyrie immediately liked him.

"There you go, now, how are you feeling this morning?" Said the man.

Valkyrie nodded slightly. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in the sanctuary, how did she get here? Where was Skulduggery?

The man smiled. "That's good."

Valkyrie looked at him. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

The man sighed. "You ask me this every time we see each other."

"'Every time we see each other'" Valkyrie quoted in confusion. "We've met before?"

"Of course. I'm Doctor Farewell."

Valkyrie frowned. "Doctor? Am I sick?" she could have sworn Nye said there was nothing wrong with her.

The doctor nodded. "Oh yes, you've been ill for a very long time."

Valkyrie was starting to get scared now, what did he mean sick? She felt fine. Her breathing rate increased and her eyes started darting around the room.

"Stephanie, you need to calm down." The Doctor ordered her in the calm but stern voice. But it did nothing to calm her this time.

"Where's Skulduggery? Let me talk to him!"

The doctor shook his head in disappointment. "Skulduggery doesn't excised." He told her calmly.

Valkyrie shook her head. "What…I …"

"Yes, Stephanie, look at me." The Doctor took a hold of her hands. "When you were 12 you stayed in your uncle's house overnight. A man broke in, do you remember?"

"Yes."

"That man did terrible things to you. He broke you."

Valkyrie shook her head. "No, Skulduggery saved me!"

Doctor Farewell shook his head. "No, he didn't. Skulduggery is in your mind. Nobody saved you that night, so you invented someone who did. Stephanie Edgley couldn't protect herself that night so in your mind you created Valkyrie Cain who can save herself. It's in your head, all of it, even Tanith and Ghastly. You couldn't stop that first villain so you made up all those other bad people, like Serpine, who you could defeat."

Valkyrie shook her head. "That's not true."

The doctor stood up. "The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can go home."

Valkyrie looked round and finally put the pieces of the puzzle together. "I'm in a mental asylum, aren't I?"

"Yes."

"NO, please!" Valkyrie stood up and pushed past the Doctor.

"NURSE!" The doctor yelled towards the door.

"YOU'RE LYING! LET ME GO HOME." Valkyrie started towards the door.

Just as she reached it two men in a doctor's uniform stepped in the door. One had a needle in his hand. Valkyrie clicked her fingers, but no spark occurred. She pushed at the air but nothing happened. One of the doctors grabbed her arms, holding her still. She trashed and tried starching his hands but he didn't let go. She screamed as the needle went in her arm. She immediately started feeling weak and her eyes got heavy.

"We are just trying to help you Stephanie. You need to understand that Skulduggery and the magic isn't real." Doctor Farewell said just before Valkyrie lost conciseness.

oo)0(oo

Valkyrie woke with a start, surprised to find her face wet with tears. But happy to find herself back in the medical room in the sanctuary and Skulduggery sitting in the chair in the corner of the room.

"Nightmare?" Skulduggery asked her.

Valkyrie nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Well." He said cheerily. "Put it behind you, Nye says nothing wrong, so we can go." Skulduggery took a closer look at her. "_Is_ something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong."

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Honest opinion? What do you think?

Morgan Sulfur xXx


	3. The Calm Before The Storm

Valkyrie needed space. Time to think. She couldn't remember the last time she had thought so hard, but then again, she had never had anything this big to think about.

Her nightmare.

She would never admit it to anybody but she was more scared than she'd ever been before. She had faced a lot of terrifying things since she met Skulduggery but nothing had scared her to the core like this did. The possibility that Skulduggery wasn't real was unacceptable. But Valkyrie couldn't help the small voice of doubt in her head. That dream was so real. And the logic made sense. Was it possible that maybe...no she wouldn't think that. She couldn't. It was too much, everything, it was all just too much. She loved him. He was her best friend. It wasn't possible. He had to be real.

She looked down, seeing the tiny baby nestled in her arms. Little baby Alice, sound asleep, unaware of the raging battle in Valkyrie's head. Vallkyrie heard herself sighing and watched as Alice moved closer, a soft smile on her delicate face.

A warmth built up in Valkyrie's chest as she looked at her sister. This was real. But it was different to how she felt with Skulduggery. The gnawing doubts filled her mind once more and that warmth vanished, like a fire that had been blown out by a persistent breeze.

She shook herself, she couldn't think about it. She just couldn't.

"I know you're real, no way could my imagination think up something so perfect." Valkyrie whispered.

She sighed and looked at the clock, it was twelve o'clock at night. She couldn't avoid it any longer. Valkyrie walked into Alice's room and placed her in her little bed. Valkyrie stood watching her for a few minutes before picking her back up again and carrying Alice to her own room.

Valkyrie held her as she fought off sleep, Alice was real, Alice. Was. Real. She needed to remember that, no matter what that Doctor said, this life is real. That was her last thought before she fell asleep.

oo)0(oo

Valkyrie woke up in the front seat of a car that was driving through her home town. She weakly turned her head to see doctor Farewell in the driver's seat. Valkyrie didn't say anything, just turned her head to look out the window again. It wasn't hard to guess that they were heading towards her home.

"Stephanie, you're awake, we're almost there."

Valkyrie didn't answer.

A few minutes later they stopped outside her home.

Doctor Farewell held onto her arm as they walked up the garden path. Valkyrie's mum opened the door. She looked different. Her hair had a lot of grey in it and she was a lot thinner than she should be. This worried Valkyrie deeply. Her Father appeared over her mother's shoulder. He also had a lot of grey hair and had deep worry lines around his eyes.

Melissa smiled when she saw Valkyrie, but it wasn't a happy smile, it was full of pain and exhaustion. "Hello, sweetheart come on it."

Doctor Farewell practically pulled her over the threshold.

The four of them sat in the living room, Valkyrie couldn't help but notice that her parents sat as far away from her as possible.

"So, how are you feeling?" Her mum hesitantly asked.

She nodded. "I'm fine."

Clearly not believing or trusting her answer, she turned to the doctor for a confirmation.

"She's still having delusions because she can't face the truth; I though bringing her here may help her." Farewell said in a professional tone of voice.

"Where's Alice?" Valkyrie asked, just realizing her absence.

Both her parents looked confused until Farewell explained, "Stephanie believes that she has a little sister, named Alice."

Desmond shook his head in disappointment and Valkyrie felt it like a stab to the heart. He was ashamed of her.

"Please sweetie, can't you just forget about…you know…him?" her mum begged.

"You mean Skulduggery." Valkyrie supplied.

Melissa winced at the name.

"He's real!" Valkyrie insisted.

"No he isn't!"

"He is!"

"No!"

"He saved me!"

"No he didn't, NOBODY SAVED YOU!"

Valkyrie's mum burst in to tears and buried her head in her husband's shoulder. "It's my…Fault" She cried in between sobs. "I ….left you…there that night…I did this…"

Doctor Farewell leaned in and whispered in Valkyrie's ear. "Can't you see the harm you've done by creating your delusions? You need to stop, you have to kill-"

oo)0(oo

Valkyrie woke up with a gasp. Alice was still asleep and smiling happily. A quiet knock sounded on her door and she looked up the see her mum open the door.

She smiled. "I saw that Alice wasn't in her bed so I figured she was in here with you."

Valkyrie nodded, too chocked to speak. This was her mother.

"I can take her to bed if you want." Her mum started across the room, intending to pick Alice up.

"No, it's OK, I don't mind."

Melissa frowned. "Are you OK sweetheart?"

"I'm good, I just want to hold her."

"OK then, good night."

"Night."

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**Sorry it took so long to update, writers block! **

**Thanks to Chris400ad for your help, once again x**

**Next chapter will be up sooner! Thanks to those who review this!**

**Morgan Sulfur xXx**


	4. Acceptance

Valkyrie had made up her mind. She was going to tell skulduggery what was happening. He would tell her what to do, because the truth was, she didn't know how to handle this anymore. She was scared. The prospect that skulduggery didn't really exists scared her to the core. The dreams were so real. They made sence.

Valkyrie jumped as skulduggery slammed the car door shut. Valkyrie realised for the first time that she was freezing. She looked at her watch, she had been sitting on the rock by the sea for over half an hour. She had been so caught up in her own thought that she had become oblivios to her surandings.

"Are you OK?" skulduggery asked her, tilting his head.

Valkyrie opened her mouth to tell him everything...and then closed it again. It wasn't the right time nor the right place. "Fine."

"You can't lie to me Valkyrie, you should know that by now."

"I will tell you...just...not now" she didn't know why she suddenly didn't want to tell skulduggery. She had been so sure of herself before.

Skulduggery was silent for a moment. "OK, but you know i will find out eventually, right?"

She nooded and got in the car. Skulduggery got in a few seconds later and started driving.

"We're not going to the sanctuary." Valkyrie said.

"No, we're going to a little, rundown home just outside of Dublin. It's the dreamster's safe house."

"Has he done anymore damage."

"yes, it's not pretty, adults are starting to have nightmares. Voices in their head telling them to kill their children."

Doctor farewell's words floated through her head. _You have to kill-_. Who? Who did Valkyrie have to kill in order to end this nightmare. "Any deaths yet?"

"None, we've got the parents in costady."

"good."

Valkyrie looked out the Bentley' s window just as they pulled up to a grand house. It was an odd thing to valkyrie, seeing a beautiful house, she was so used to abounded building s that she had just assumed she was going to see one now. It was huge , with balconies, stone columns and double doors. Valkyrie opened the car door and turned her head up towards to light rain, it felt freesh, clean and helped ease the headache that she had.

They quietly started up the ground steps and opened the door. Valkyrie was surprised that the door didn't squeak, _I've watched too many horror movies_, she decided.

The dreamster was waiting for them, he was sitting in his arm-chair looking very relaxed.

"You're looking calm for a man about to be arrested." Skulduggery said mildly.

The Dreamster shrugged. Valkyrie stood in front of the door, blocking his exist. But Valkyrie became aware of a throbbing pain in her head; memories of her time in the mental hospital assaulted her mind, images of her pain flashed in her head. Skulduggery needed to know that something was wrong, but she had no way to tell him without alerting The Dreamster as well.

"You're looking confident." Skulduggery said.

"I'm pretty confident that you will have bigger problems then little old me very soon."

Skulduggery tilted his head. " I doubt it. Tell me, what did you do to those parents?"

The Dreamster shrugged again. "Oh that, that was just a bit of fun. A test run, if you like."

Valkyrie was starting to feel really sick now. Her head was spinning and she felt like she was going to throw up. She could hear Doctor Farewell in her head calling her back to reality...No, not reality. But...it felt so real.

"Give us the cure!" Skulduggery demanded.

"No, now if you'll excuse me, I have world chaos to plan." The Dreamster punched skulduggery in the face but he hardly moved. The elbow to his ribs made him grunt in pain.

Valkyrie knew she should help. But she didn't move. This wasn't real. Skulduggery couldn't get hurt if this wasn't real. This was in her mind, she was in control.

Valkyrie looked up as skulduggery yelled her name. He was was on the floor, his leg was over on the other side of the room. How had that happened?

The Dreamster ran for the door. The same door that valkyrie was standing in front of. But if none of this was real...then where was the danger?

Valkyrie stepped aside.

The Dreamster ran past her and into the street. Skulduggery, who had just re-attached his leg, stormed over to her and grabbed her arms. Valkyrie started felling light headed.

"Why did you do that?" Skulduggery demanded while he shook her.

"You're not real." Valkyrie whispered, heartbroken.

Reality was calling her back. Valkyrie blacked out.


End file.
